Association By-Laws

ARTICLE I – ORGANIZATION

Name: The name of the non-profit organization is the Alaska Amateur Racquetball Association (AARA) hereinafter referred to as the AARA of the organization.

PURPOSE: The purpose of the organization is to promote the sport of racquetball throughout the state of Alaska by supporting Juniors’ programs, administering amateur and professional tournaments, maintaining amateur seeding, sponsoring educational and certification programs, increasing public awareness of racquetball, and promoting good sportsmanship. The organization will operate in affiliation with and cooperation with the United States Racquetball Association (USRA) hereinafter referred to as USRA. The organization shall raise funds and accept donations to further these purposes, and shall operate exclusively for educational and charitable purposes.

ARTICLE II – MEMBERSHIP

MEMBERSHIP: Membership in the organization will include all adult and junior players who meet the following criteria:

maintain a current membership in the USRA, and

Reside in the state of Alaska, or, in the case of active duty military personnel, maintain a “home of record” in Alaska.

MEMBERSHIP FEE: The membership fee for the organization shall be that fee charged by the USRA for regular membership. The organization, will not charge anadditional fee for local membership.

SUSPENSION: Nonpayment of dues shall automatically result in suspension of membership. Such membership may be reinstated immediately upon payment of the next year’s dues. Further, the board, through the use of the USRA Grievance Policy, shall have the right to expel or suspend membership, or refuse membership, for any length of time, if the member is adjudged to have acted in a manner unacceptable to the organization at a racquetball function, tournament, or event, or has taken action clearly detrimental to the promotion of the sport in Alaska, or clearly in conflict with the goals of the organization.

ARTICLE III – ORGANIZATIONAL STRUCTURE

VOTING MEMBERS: Each member of the AARA shall have one (1) vote in matters brought to a vote of the general membership.

BOARD OF DIRECTORS: The directors of the organization shall consist of not less than nine (9) and not more than fifteen (15) members, the actual number to be decided by the board. The board shall always consist of a minimum of three (3) female members, three (3) male members, one (1) 50+ player, one (1) active duty or retired military player, and at least one player from each city that hosted a sanctioned USRA tournament in the previous twelve months. The nomination committee will establish ballot nominations so that these criteria are met. Each board member will serve a three (3) year term with approximately one-third of the total board positions expiring each year. The original board for the organization will be appointed by the USRA State Director and the terms will be set randomly for 1 to 3 years each.

OPERATING COMMITTEES: The following operating committees and their respective chairpersons shall be appointed by the President:

Public Relation/Press committee

Juniors Programs Committee

Rules and Certification Committee

Seeding Committee

Nominating Committee

Fundraising Committee

Programs Committee

BOARD OF DIRECTORS ELECTIONS: Approximately one-third of the directors shall be elected each year by the general membership. The ballot for the election shall be submitted by the Nomination Committee, approved by the Board, and mailed to all eligible voting members in the first week of March each year. Ballots must be returned by the last day of March to be included in the voting. New directors will be installed at the annual general membership meeting, which shall be held each year during the Alaska State Singles Championships.

ELECTION OF OFFICERS: Board officers shall be elected annually at the general membership meeting by the board of directors. The nomination committee will present a slate of candidates, from the existing board members, for the officer positions. After open nominations from the board, the board will elect officers from each position for the next year with a simple majority vote. Officer positions will include President, Vice President, Secretary, and Treasurer.

VACANT BOARD POSITIONS: Any vacancies on the board, other than normal term expirations, will be filled by a vote of the board. The new board member’s team will be the term remaining in the position they are filling.

REMOVAL FROM OFFICE: Any board member may be removed from the board by a simple majority vote of the board. A removed board member has a right to have the removal voted on by the general membership. To require the vote, the removed board member must present a petition to the President within 60 days of removal, signed by a minimum of ten percent (10%) of the active membership, requesting a vote of the membership on the removal. The President will schedule the vote for no more than 60 days from the date of receiving a valid petition.

QUORUM: A quorum of 50% of the board members are required to conduct the business of the organization. Majority votes are defined as a majority of those board members present; assuming a quorum has been achieved.

ARTICLE IV – DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES

BOARD OF DIRECTORS: The board of directors duties shall include, but not be limited to, the following:

To formulate policy for the organization.

To decide budgeting issues and allocation of funds.

To make selections for filling of vacancies.

To revise the organization by-laws as necessary.

To act as the final “Board of Appeal” for grievance and disciplinary actions.

OFFICERS: Officer positions and responsibilities are as follows:

(a) PRESIDENT: It shall be the duty of the President to preside at all general and Board of Director meetings. The President shall be the principal administrator of the organization and shall be an ex-officio voting member of all committees, the selector of committee chairpersons and members, and the chief spokesperson for the organization.

VICE PRESIDENT: The Vice President shall preside at all meetings in the absence of the President and, in such event, shall have all the duties and rights of the President. In the event of a vacancy in the office of the President, the Vice-President shall fill the unexpired term.

SECRETARY: The Secretary shall be responsible for the maintenance of these by-laws, minutes of general membership and board of director meetings, regular newsletter as approved and budgeted by the board, and other paperwork necessary for the functioning of the organization.

TREASURER: The Treasurer shall be responsible for keeping and reporting on the financial transactions and status of the organization.

ARTICLE V – INCOME AND EXPENSES

INCOME: The income of the organization shall be derived from membership fees (that portion of national USRA dues withheld by the local organization), sanctioning fees, gifts, donations, fundraising activities, and other sources which may be available from time to time. All monies will be deposited into the general account of the organization.

EXPENSES: The AARA shall spend money strictly associated with fulfilling the purposes of the organization, to reimburse officers, board members, or volunteers for out of pocket expenses only, and for the overall operation of the organization. All expenditures will require the signature of at least two Officers of the board. Any expense over $200 will require the approval of the board.

ARTICLE VI – AMENDMENTS

The board of directors shall have the right to amend these by-laws with the following restrictions:

A 2/3 majority of the full board is required to pass any amendments. Directors may vote by mail or fax if they are unable to attend the vote in person.

All amendments shall be immediately published to all members of the organization. A petition signed by 10% of the current members opposing the amendment shall cause the amendment to be voted on by the general membership.

In the event of a membership petition, the amendment approved by the board will remain in effect until the amendment is voted out by the membership.

ARTICLE VII – MEMBER RIGHTS

MEMBER RIGHT: The general membership of the organization shall have the right to call a general membership meeting for the purpose of:

Requesting a revision to these by-laws.

Overruling the Board of Directors and Officers on by-law amendments or on specific policies or decisions.

Holding a special election for the purpose of replacing or removing one or more of the Officers or members of the Board of Directors.

In order to call for such a meeting, a petition shall be delivered to the President stating the specific motion and order of business to be discussed and voted on. The petition shall contain the signatures of no less than ten percent (10%) of the current members of the organization. Upon receipt of such petition, the President shall set a time and place for a special meeting within forty-five (45) days, and shall notify the membership of the meeting, the contents of the petition, and any other business slated for the meeting. All votes of the general membership will be held by mail ballots to all current members.

ARTICLE VIII – MEETINGS AND PROCEDURES

<

GENERAL MEMBERSHIP MEETINGS: The annual general membership meeting shall be scheduled during the Alaska State Singles Championships each year. Other general membership meetings will be held as required by petition, or by the President of the organization.

All voting issues to be determined by the membership will be decided by a mail ballot. Ballots will be mailed to all current members and a reasonable deadline will be given for returning completed ballots.

BOARD OF DIRECTORS MEETINGS: The President of the organization shall call meetings of the board of directors, as he/she deems necessary. Board of Director meetings may also be called by any four (4) directors requesting a meeting by signed petitionand presented to the President.

Meeting agendas will be determined by the President.

A quorum of 50% of active board members is required to conduct the business of the board. Unless otherwise provided, board votes need a simple majority of the board members present, assuming a quorum has been achieved.

In the event there is a single issue that requires a board decision, the President may poll the directors in lieu of calling a meeting.

RULES:< Roberts Rules of Order shall apply to all General Membership and Board of Director meeting procedures.

ARTICLE IX – DISSOLUTION

In the event of dissolution of the organization or the winding up of its affairs, all monies owned by the organization shall be donated to the United States Racquetball Association.